The run for home

Eight matches to go, Champions League qualification in our sights and even… whisper it quietly... unless you're Ian Rush, winning the Premiership is not beyond us.

What club legend Rush is rightly saying is that we have to be positive and shoot for the stars, because aiming for first may just bring us second, rather concentrating on fourth which is dangerous in itself and being overtaken down the home stretch is always a possibility.

One senses a belief in this Liverpool side that anything is possible and there is a realisation that we are capable of beating any side in the Premiership at home or away.  The resolve shown against Fulham and our second-half performance in the FA Cup tie against Arsenal demonstrates how Rodgers has instilled a level of resolve into his team which takes some doing because this is a team which lacks real physicality in the midfield areas.

Ian Rush feels Liverpool need to aim for the Premiership

Brendan Rodgers has impressed upon his team a willingness to work hard and press in all areas of the pitch.  Thus while we may not see Coutinho making crunching tackles, the impish pass master has learnt to intercept or at the very least hold up the opposition by putting his body on the line.  I believe it is that mind-set which has seen the players come together as a team and an improvement in the levels of the much criticised Cissokho.

Arguably, we have the least depth of any of the top seven clubs and will require luck to get us to the end of the season.

I tended to think not playing in the FA Cup would be detrimental going forwards because  the additional matches lent itself to fluidity and continuity.  With no FA Cup match to look forward too, Liverpool did not have a match for two weeks before facing Man United which had it pros and cons, but Rodgers team is mentality strong.

The positives is that given the wholehearted nature of our pressing game, the break did more good than harm and by the time of the Old Trafford match Brendan Rodgers had Sakho and Lucas available for selection.  Steven Gerrard, still an integral part of the mind-set and flow of Brendan Rodgers setup had a much needed break at a time when Rodgers could look to winding his team up to ready itself for the final run down the back strait.

It’s an interesting test of Brendan Rodgers managerial skills and his ability to deal with Mourinho's mind games as we get down to the pressure pact run for home.

Steven Gerrard’s captaincy which without his able lieutenant Carragher, has become more hands on rather than the lead by example style of old has benefited the likes of Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen in helping to raise their games to the required level.